Pam Spaulding, the popular, black, lesbian blogger and activist for the LGBTQ community, today weighed in on Kobe Bryant’s Tuesday night use of the term “fucking fag,” against a referee. In response to the John Amaechi interview, Pam says, “It’s the kind of intersection of race and sexual orientation that begs for more available gay POC to get on the air,” adding, “John’s the perfect talking head to have on.”
Read: “Gay Former NBA Star Talks About Kobe Bryant And His Use Of The “F†Word“
But as far as Kobe Bryant goes, Spaulding, the co-author of the Dallas Principles and founder of Pam’s House Blend, isn’t as pleased. In, “Gay ex-NBA player John Amaechi weighs in Bryant’s ‘f*cking f*g’ slur,” Spaulding writes, “as I am black and gay, the Kobe slur is inexcusable. He should know better, and as a public figure has to realize that his choice of words matters.” Spaulding, unlike others who have shunned the “gay vs. black” comparison, says, “Surely he wouldn’t have appreciated someone dropping the N-word cavalierly in the ‘heat of a frustrated moment.'”
Bryant’s first attempt at an explanation-slash-apology was that he didn’t mean the word “fag,” “literally.” Spaulding says, “The fact that he had to issue 2 versions of an apology – the initial statement and then the one he made to HRC’s Joe Solmonese — shows that he, like many politicians and public figures, find it difficult to say the words “I’m sorry, my outburst was inexcusable. I was wrong” — and mean it.”
“That, in my opinion means much more than a $100K fine. But if fining someone is what it takes to teach them a lesson that his employer doesn’t tolerate bigoted statements, then so be it. The money means less to me than the sincerity of understanding that tossing “fag” around has implications. It makes bullying of youth easier, provides comfort to those who use “fag” casually to demean straight, gay or non-gender-conforming men. Words do matter — all oppression is wrong.”
(image: Pam Spaulding and John Amaechi)
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